A mining affiliate program for people who work with exploration teams

What makes a good mining referral

The referrals we can act on fastest have three things in place: a defined license boundary, a clear idea of which minerals the client is after, and a stage of exploration where a satellite screen will change what they do next. That's what we look for in every introduction made through the mining affiliate program.

A license boundary

We need to know exactly which ground to analyze. A KML, a shapefile or a list of corner coordinates from the license documents usually works. Our delivery time of under 5 days starts once we have a usable boundary, so a client who can send one on the first call is a strong referral. One who is still negotiating for the ground can still be a good lead, just a slower one.

Target minerals

"Gold" or "copper and cobalt" is enough to start. The minerals decide which signals we weight and, for minerals that need narrow spectral bands such as lithium, rare earths and platinum-group metals, whether we add hyperspectral data.

Exploration stage

Satellite screening is most useful before the big spending starts: before detailed mapping, soil sampling or a drilling program. It also helps on ground that has been partly explored, by ranking areas outside the zones already tested. A license that already has a published resource estimate and a mine plan is usually a weaker fit for this mining referral program.

How to qualify a lead before you introduce it

Partners in our mining affiliate program don't need to run a technical review. A short conversation covering a few questions saves everyone time and tells us how to approach the client.

• Does the client hold the license, have the right to explore it, or are they assessing it before a purchase?
• Can they share the boundary, and in what format?
• Which minerals are they targeting, and what do they already know about the geology?
• What work has been done so far, such as mapping, sampling, geophysics or drilling?
• Is it one license or a portfolio? We deliver multi-license portfolios in phases.
• Who signs off on exploration spending, and when do they need to decide?

Be wary of one kind of request. If someone wants a resource figure to put in a prospectus or investor deck, satellite exploration is the wrong product for that purpose, and we'll say so. A good mineral exploration referral is a client who wants to know where to spend field and drilling budget first.

Positioning satellite exploration ahead of a JORC or NI 43-101 estimate

Geologists will judge you on how you describe this, so be precise. What we deliver are Exploration Targets: ranked zones with an estimated location, depth and quantity, built from eight families of satellite data (optical, short-wave infrared and emissivity, radar, thermal, terrain, magnetics, hydrology and land cover). Under the JORC Code, an Exploration Target is a statement of potential quantity and grade, given as ranges, and it's conceptual in nature. It sits ahead of a JORC or NI 43-101 resource estimate, which relies on sampling data, usually from drilling, and sign-off by a Competent Person (JORC) or Qualified Person (NI 43-101). Our reports come before that work and don't replace it.

The value is in sequencing. A client can screen a whole license first, then put mapping crews, sampling and drill holes into the strongest zones. Clients report saving USD 25,000 to 100,000 and up to six months per license this way. On engagements where clients tested the zones with ground or drill evidence, 90% of ranked zones were confirmed. Quote both figures the way they're written here, as client reports and tested engagements, and point people to the satellite mineral detection page for the method.

What the client receives, and when

Delivery takes under 5 days from a usable boundary, with multi-license portfolios delivered in phases. Clients choose between two report tiers.

As a rule of thumb, Premium suits a client deciding where to map and sample. Premium+ suits a team planning drill holes or working in mine-planning software. Translation, white-label reports, GIS and CSV delivery, and Surpac STR/DTM or DXF/DWG files are available as add-ons. Clients can open their results in Mining Pro, our browser-based exploration software, and the 16-chapter video course on using it is free to watch.

How the work is split, and how commission is agreed

Your job in the mining partner program is the relationship. You spot the project, check it's a fit, make the introduction and, if the client wants, join the first call. From there our team takes over: scoping and quoting the project, running the satellite analysis, writing the report and going through the results with the client. You never have to handle satellite data or answer technical questions you're unsure about. Pass them to us.

Commission is agreed with each partner individually, on the call we hold with shortlisted applicants. It applies to the projects we approve and take on, and it's paid as agreed for each one. We don't publish a rate because engagements differ so much in size, from one license to a phased portfolio. If you're comparing this with a gold affiliate program or another affiliate mining offer, ask us on that call how a typical project you'd refer would be treated. If your network also includes growers, the agriculture track works differently, and the affiliate program overview compares the two.

Handling confidential client information

License boundaries, early results and deal discussions are often sensitive, and clients will expect you to treat them carefully. As a partner in the mining affiliate program, get the client's agreement before you send us their coordinates or license documents, and send only what's needed to scope the project. If the client needs a confidentiality agreement before sharing anything, raise it with our partnerships team at the start, before any data changes hands.

The report belongs to the client's project. Don't forward it, quote its numbers or post maps from it without the client's permission. When you want to show a prospect what the output looks like, use our published case studies instead of another client's report. Clients notice when their data is handled carefully.

Regions and minerals we work in

We've analyzed 391,956 acres across 33 countries, on 189 exploration projects. Most of the area is in Africa, led by Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Mauritania, the DR Congo and Zambia, with sizable project areas in Mongolia and the US as well. Gold accounts for most of the work (117 of the 189 projects), so a geology consultant referral for a gold license is the most familiar kind of project for us. The other 72 projects cover 22 more minerals, from copper, nickel and lithium to uranium, emerald and bentonite.

If your contact's mineral or country isn't on the lists above, send the details anyway. We check every project against what satellite mineral detection can reasonably cover, and we'll tell you if it isn't a fit before your client spends anything.